Birds of Similar Beaks Bite Together

Birds of same feather, flock together. We have heard this phrase in our school days. It means that people with similar interests or hobbies will come together. Like Bikers, cyclists, hikers, soccer fans, marathoners etc. Based on the observation of birds coming to feed in our bird feeder in Secunderabad, I have a different take on this phrase. 

Our bird feeder is meant for small birds. Indian Silverbills feed on it regularly. We have watched with delight tens of Silverbills feeding together every morning and afternoon. 

Occasionally, we have also seen Scaly-breasted munia and House Sparrow coming to feed on the same feeder. Scaly-breasted Munia and Indian Silverbill both have similar beaks- conical, pointed and tiny. Each grain of foxtail millet is split open to eat the seed and the shell is discarded. Whereas the House Sparrow also has a conical beak, slightly bigger than the Munias, but it doesn't appear to split the foxtail millet grains. It seems to eat the grain as it is. This observation can be substantiated by fellow birders. We are open to suggestions and/or correction.

Based on this observation, we are coining the line 'Birds of similar beaks, bite together'! 

But biting together is not all that smooth as the following picture story tells you.

Indian Silverbills are a gregarious lot and forever active and hungry. 

Those readers who haven't seen the Silverbills, here is a short video clip.

Look at the way one Munia has squeezed herself into the bird feeder! 

A house sparrow also joins to feed. It is welcomed! Sparrow's back is to the camera.

Rain or no rain, Silverbills are always ready to feed.

Like all other beings, good weather brings pair of Munias closer!

But after a while, it is the same old story! One partner ignores the other! Read the dialogue in the picture below.

We have done multiple stories and videos on Silverbills earlier. Links to some of the earlier stories are given below:

Indian Silverbill- The Tiny Teacher - this story tells how a tiny bird like the Silverbill has so many lessons for us human beings! It also shows the grain which the birds eat.

Friendly Munias - includes video clips of Silverbills feeding together in our yard.

Feeding the Silverbills - our first story on Silverbills. See the close ups!

The Contest

A picture showing nine Indian Silverbills lined up together was the subject of KBG-64, the 64th edition of Kaun Banega Ghumakkad online captions contest.

The Contest received a total of 46 captions listed below. We thank all the readers.

Sl.	Name	Caption for KBG-64 Contest
1	Ajai Bhumri	इंतजार
2	Ajai Bhumri	हम इंतजार करेंगे कयामत तक,  खुदा करे कयामत हो और वो आए .
3	Amandeep Kaur	We can socialize and gossip- Silver bills
4	AP Sharma	We are the sentinels! We are elegant.
5	Avinash Tiwari	Hum panchi ek dal ke. Miljul ke rehte hain
6	Bharat Ladha	Mauj mein
7	BR Natarajan	You may call them Silverbills but the memories they leave everyday are golden indeed
8	Deepak Jena	Being glamorous is not a crime.
9	Deepak Jena	Never underestimate the power of trust.
10	GB Sethi	Joint Family!
11	GR Sreenivasan	Yet another manifestation of divinity in the form of this quaint species.
12	Jaishankar	Navratna
13	Jawahar L Gupta	Doh teen char hogai naon. Jab Ek saath udenge toh kar dengue dooseron ke pao barah
14	J Ramamoorty	Hum Panchi ek deal ke
15	J Ramamoorty	Nine Silverbills waiting for Navratri festival to start
16	Lekha Sistha	Inside us all, patiently waiting, sits a tiny little adventurous bird.
17	LS Bhargava	कतार पर बने रहो तुम्हारी बारी जरूर आएगी।
18	Manju Khetan	Pointed bill but soft call! (Lesson for us human beings)
19	M Vasudevan	Nimble Niners on a silvery line.
20	Narendra Soni	No row among us though we are in a row.
21	Naresh Kumar	Stand Easy meaning Araam Sey!
22	Neelam Sawant	This is meditation
23	Nidhi Bhargava	मिल बैठें दोस्तों केे संग, चहचहाऐं, गुनगुनाऐं, ज़िन्दगी हसीन बनायें
24	Parag Sharma	We don't need "WIFI" to be "Online" and "Shine" !
25	Peter De Padua	2,3,4 pretty birds in a row.
26	Poonam Bhargava	Act of discipline!
27	Pradeep Siwach	Munia ri Munia ye to bata
28	Radhika Sareen	'नौ दुर्गा' appear together on silver string...happy navratra
29	Raghuraj Bhargava	Hum Panchee Ek Daal Kay
30	Rajendra Singh	Let's party at Ghumakkads Inn !
31	Rajnesh Gossain	Ham Panchi ek dal ke
32	Rakesh Sharma	Jingle Bell Jingle Bell, Jingle all the way ! Oh what fun it is to see Junta in pandemic play !
33	Rami Reddy	Silverbills Twitterring "NO" to cellphone radiation
34	Rashmi Bhargava	Hum panchi  Ek dal  ke
35	Rekha Bhargava	एकता जिवित चीजों की खुशी का स्त्रोत है ।
36	Ritu Bhargava	Strength in unity
37	Rohini Tiwari	Ek chidiya.... anek chidiyan.....dana chugne baithi chidiyan.....🎼
38	Sandhya Prakash	Sungazing Nonet !
39	Sandhya Thakre	Pearl String
40	Shereen Sultana	4 3 2 1...  The countdown for 2022 has begun!
41	Shibu Tayal	Hum hai rahi pyar ke rahana apna daal pe.
42	Sujata Das	Pretty maids all in a row.
43	Unknown	'Nau Durga' appear together on silver string today...
44	Vinay Prasad	Born with Silver Bills!
45	Vinod Dhanuka	Social distancing outside very close family
46	Yogesh Verma	Munia ki Duniya!

The Winners

The Jury has selected four winning captions listed below along with brief intro of each of the contestants.

Deepak Jena holds an MBA and is now an entrepreneur in Odisha. A keen traveller, he has won several KBG Contests. His caption 'Being glamourous is not a crime' reflects the Munia's beauty.

Parag Sharma is a former combat pilot who retired as an Air Commodore. He loves Nature and has won several KBG Contests. His caption 'We don't need WiFi to be online and shine' was unique.

Sandhya Thakre holds masters in Child Development as well as Business Management. Sandhya is a Navy spouse and has worked for community development extensively. A keen environmentalist, she loves gardening. Her crisp caption 'Pearl String' won the Jury's accolade.

Yogesh Verma is a keen hiker and photographer. A doctor by profession, he retired as a Colonel in Army Medical Corps. While in the Army he has travelled far and wide. His short caption मुनिआ की दुनिया meaning the 'The world of Munias' had an instant appeal.

We thank our Jury Akanksha Bhargava and once again congratulate all the winners of KBG-64.

Another Contest Featuring the Munias

Munias being so fascinating to observe, our Contest No. 58 had also featured Indian Silverbills. See the picture below.

The Contest received very creative captions which can be seen in the story 'Silverbill The Tiny Teacher'. Two of the winning captions are reproduced below:

Next time you observe more than one bird species feeding on same feed, do remember 'Birds of similar beak, bite together'.

We end this story with a PQ- picturesque quote on birds.

Thank you all the readers for your continued support.

Stay connected, stay safe.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ 25th October 2021

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